Find Joy in Your Journey and Love Your Life

July 12, 2018

The hardest part of doing life is being happy and finding joy in everything you do, even the hard stuff! It is so easy to constantly play the victim and feel sorry for yourself, ask me I know. To Find Joy in Your Journey can be tough and a daily struggle but it is possible.

Find Joy in Your Journey

As a mother, wife and blogger I find it hard to find balance in my life and A beautiful Life SA is my place to try and do just that. It is a platform to share more about my journey, the good and the bad, as well as share the pearls of wisdom I have picked up along the way. I also thought that this is the perfect way to dispell the myths that are often portrayed on social media, that life is perfect and all rainbows and unicorns! Well, it is not but you lead a happy and fulfilled life.

Let me begin by saying I do not have all the answers but do have a passion for writing and helping others. I personally struggle with finding joy in my everyday life and find it hard to wake up each day and feel happy and content with life. I am a Christian and believe that God has a plan and a purpose for my life but that does not stop the doubt or worry from creeping in.

What makes being joyful or joy-filled even more difficult is, comparison. Comparing ourselves to others is a very dangerous thing and can often steal your joy. You know what I mean – seeing other peoples “happy lives” on social media and thinking their existence must surely be better than ours. Not only is this wrong but it is unrealistic to be that happy and perfect all the time!

Love Your Life

Recent circumstances have left me feeling really low and sorry for myself until I realised that I am focusing on the wrong things. Subconsciously I have been dwelling on me, what I do not have, what I need and it is getting me nowhere. This constant pity party just leaves me feeling down and empty.

I know that I have SO much to feel grateful for and I am truly blessed but I am missing out on my purpose because I am so focused on what I don’t have! How do we change this downward spiral and start “loving your life”?

It is a twofold process. Firstly we need to realise that we have God-given talents, which sets us apart from everyone else. It is important to establish what these are a hone them. Often we look at the lack before we look at what we are good at. It is quite possible to be good at a few things but near on impossible to be good at everything. For me a few of the things I am good at and passionate about, are writing, photography and cooking. Something else I have realised is that while I might not be the best at something, I can improve and learn.

Love Yourself

Secondly, stop trying to be someone you are not! As soon as you have a clear vision of who you are and what your destiny is, it is easier to BE YOU. As I mentioned earlier, “comparison” is a dangerous game and often the thief of joy. If you want to Find Joy in Your Journey, it is vital to appreciate and Love Yourself.

When I say “love yourself” I am not talking about self-absorbed vanity. It is more self-acceptance, warts and all kind of love and the opposite of self-loathing.

I feel the need to point out, however, that I am talking about your emotional and spiritual self, not our physical self, although that is also important.

One might think that loving yourself is easy but it is not only what you portray to the world that is important. It is what goes on behind closed doors that matters. The thoughts you think, your actions and especially how you treat others that really matters. Often people seem bubbly and joyful on the surface but in fact, this is a front for the world. Depression is a real thing and most times people suffer in silence, which is very dangerous. That, however, is another subject for another day.

To truly love oneself you must let go of any preconceived ideas of who you should be and start living YOUR life not someone else’s or an edited, acceptable version you think the world would like. Is this easy, definitely not, especially in a world that judges first and asks questions later.

The Battle Is Real

Now that you have established that you need to find joy in everyday life and love and accept yourself, you are halfway there. The battle is real and the more you walk the path you are destined to and seek your purpose, you will find opposition. The key is to ask for grace and strength each day, or every minute of every day if that is what it takes. Most importantly do not be hard on yourself, if God can grant you grace, then so too can you.

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